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CVE-2024-1978 - Friends Plugin

CVE-2024-1978

The Friends plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Server-Side Request Forgery in all versions up to, and including, 2.8.5 via the discover_available_feeds function. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with administrator-level access and above, to make web requests to arbitrary locations originating from the web application and can be used to query and modify information from internal services.

CVE-2024-1978

MEDIUM CVSS 5.5 Published 2024-02-29 Updated 2025-08-01
AI Risk High (76/100) Active Exploit: Likely Published Exploit: Public exploit references found Priority: P2 Urgent
Severity Band MEDIUM
CVSS Vector CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N
Affected Components 1
Reference Links 3
AI Risk Engine High (76/100)
Exploitability High
Active Exploitation Likely
Published Exploit Status Public exploit references found

Threat Timeline

  1. 2024-02-29 CVE published and first recorded in the threat feed.
  2. 2025-08-01 Record updated with latest vulnerability metadata.
  3. 2026-04-09 AI technical context refreshed for mitigation and impact guidance.
  4. Now Monitoring for follow-up changes, linked references, and new related CVEs.

AI Context

Machine-generated threat intelligence

AI Updated 13 days ago

AI enriched 13 days ago (2026-04-09 08:20 UTC)

Technical Summary

The Friends plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Server-Side Request Forgery in all versions up to, and including, 2.8.5 via the discover_available_feeds function. This makes it possible for authenticated attackers, with administrator-level access and above, to make web requests to arbitrary locations originating from the web application and can be used to query and modify information from internal services.

Potential Impact

Severity is MEDIUM (CVSS 5.5). Depending on deployment context, affected components may be exposed to unauthorized actions or data integrity risk.

Exploitability Assessment

Exploitability is assessed as High based on published exploit references, remote code execution potential.

Primary risk drivers: published exploit references, remote code execution potential

Mitigation Recommendations

Validate affected product versions, prioritize patching, and monitor references for vendor remediation guidance. If immediate patching is not possible, apply compensating controls and limit exposure of vulnerable surfaces.

Detection & Monitoring

Track authentication anomalies, unexpected file writes, and suspicious plugin API activity around affected components.

Business Impact Lens

Prioritize remediation where affected components process customer data, admin sessions, or Internet-exposed workflows.

Affected Products

Friends PLUGIN · friends Affected: < 2.8.6 Fixed in: 2.8.6
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